After getting check up by the doctor, I fell asleep once again.
I woke up about ten hours after falling asleep. After that, I was able to talk better without any cut in between my sentence.
"John, can you call for lady Aubrey?"
"Of course, my lady"
John left to do as I say. When he opened the door, I saw two knights by the door who seems to be guarding the entrance to this room.
'Almas'
-Yes, master?
'Are there any guards behind the windows? I can't see anything from here due to the curtains'
-There are some. About six of them.
It must have been Aubrey's work then.
"I'm sorry for worrying you"
"Meow"
I took in Xavier and hugged him. He was really hairy which made it even more irresistible.
"For a cat, you sure don't shed a lot"
It has been quite some time already since we've been together but I never once notice his cat hair anywhere at all.
"Do you even shed?"
In response to my question, he simply hit my hand with his extremely soft paws.
Knock. Knock.
John and the entire Miller family came in.
"Baroness, we are very sorry for what happened today. Although we have already caught the culprit, she committed suicide to avoid information leak"
"It is fine, marquis Miller. It is good that no one else was poisoned"
After affirming that my condition was good enough to have visitors, the Miller family expressed their wholehearted apology to me for the lack of security in their house.
Of course, only the Millers and the imperial family know about this incident.
Using the excuse of being comatose, prince Diego wasn't able to visit me which was a good excuse.
They left but one stayed behind.
"Is there something you want, Sir Charles?"
The heir apparent of Miller marquisate silently stood in one corner as his entire family was apologizing to me. And now, he even stayed behind, still expressionless.
"I would like to say sorry"
"I believe the Millers have already express their sincerity about this incident"
"No. Not about that. I want to say sorry for when we first met. I will always think of your words back then as the next marquis of the five families in the empire"
Ohoho~ So this is his character development, huh.
I gained a lot more than I thought. Getting poisoned was worth it, though it did hurt like a bitch.
"I will go now. I wish you a quick recovery"
He then left after placing an insignia beside me.
Each of the five families have their own forte. The Theano duchy with their overwhelming military power. The Hawk duchy with their countless of mineral veins. The Annora marquisate with their information network. The Olbrecht barony with their immense wealth that is even bigger than the imperial family. And finally, the Miller marquisate with their influence at high society.
It may not be much compared to the other four, however, if it weren't for them civil wars would break out in the Vanifi empire.
Getting their backing would most definitely be helpful for me in the long run. Especially since their territory is in the east.
-Master, how did you know that there would be poison there?
'Because I was planning to do the same thing'
If the heir apparent of the Olbrecht barony was poisoned due to my recipe that I was teaching to Aubrey Miller, I would have face the wrath of two of the five pillars in the empire.
Not even the empress would be able to do anything since she is not a tyrant who would blindly do the things I say.
"My lady"
"Yes, John"
"Here are the documents that baron Olbrecht wanted me to give you. It is regarding about the medicinal herbs you procure to them"
I took out the papers from the envelope and saw that the baron was able to get everything I had asked for.
"What are these medicinal herbs for, my lady?"
"I will make medicine... well, more like vitamins to help me grow healthier"
Right now, this body of mine is weak. Its physical capabilities are the same as an ordinary young girl.
Unlike Andrin who is possessing prince Henry's body which is stronger than most men in the world and Valerie's body that is naturally strong due to being a vampire, my body is just an average one that it won't be able to keep up with the future that is to come.
I might know what to do but my body won't be able to execute any of it. So, first things first, I will have to strengthened this body of mine.
...
After receiving the doctor's permission, I went back to the emerald palace.
Aubrey, who was open minded to my situation, didn't hold me back to rest in their manor for a few more days.
"My lady, we have transferred the medicinal herbs to the room you have specified"
"Thank you, Monica. Also, make sure that everyone takes a break"
"Understood, my lady. However, will it really be okay?"
"Yes. It is cold here so I need to do something to warm me up. Also make sure no one disturb me"
After opening the door, carriages worth of medicinal herbs were inside the room.
"Are you sure about this, Almas?"
-Yes, master. Those Kikinpo leaves will be good for you. They will make your bones and muscles stronger.
Using the method that Almas said, I spent the next two weeks extracting the Kikinpo leaves extract.
Despite the overwhelming amount Kikinpo leaves, there were only two bottles that were filled at the end.
-Master, remember, you can only take a single spoon a day.
"Will something bad happen if I don't?"
-Yes. The effects will be all for naught. Because your body won't be able to absorb the leaves' nutrients if you take it multiple times in a day.
"These leaves are known for its sleep inducing effect which is why many doctors recommend this to people with insomnia. So how come no one has ever discover about its other effect?"
-That is because the amount needed to drink is different for every individual. The reason why you can only drink one spoon of it in a day is because of your physique. If your body was the same as your brothers, then you would need at least five spoons a day.
"So the effect varies by body structure?"
-Yes, master.
That makes a lot of sense. Even if someone were to find out its effect, no one would be able to figure that the problem would be the body structure.
Well, even if someone did found about it, prescribing it onto people would be difficult since you need a good understanding about the person's body.
Since Almas is a spirit, looking through my body to see my insides is easy for him.
"By the way, I never knew spirits have X-ray vision"
-X-ray vision? What's that?
Knock. Knock.
"My lady, something urgent came up. The prime minister is here to see you"
Ah, so he actually came here personally, huh.